I just put up the latest episode of my build video, which includes a sneak peak of a plane I will be ferrying from California to Washington in the coming days.
I just put up the latest episode of my build video, which includes a sneak peak of a plane I will be ferrying from California to Washington in the coming days.
Kitfox 5 (under construction)
Commercial SE/ME, CFII
Neato -- that's going to be a fun trip! If you need ballast for your familiarization and test flights, I'm available...
Speaking of markings in foreign languages, the airline I used to work for purchased a well-used CRJ-200 from a storage facility in Russia, reconfigured a few items on the flight deck, gave it a paint job and put it into service. A couple of weeks later a passenger asked the Flight Attendant what a cabin placard meant. The aircraft was grounded as soon as the Captain wrote up a cabin full of placards written in Cyrillic text!
Eric Page
Building: Kitfox 5 Safari | Rotax 912iS | Dynon HDX
Member: EAA Lifetime, AOPA, ALPA
ATP: AMEL | Comm: ASEL, Glider | ATCS: CTO
Map of Landings
Dang it's been a long time since I've updated my build thread. Thankfully that doesn't mean I haven't been building. For those of you who like to see the video version here is that most recent one I posted:
If you're not into videos that's fine too. The Cliff notes version is that my fuel tanks are bonded in, my #2 ribs and the last piece of trailing edge are in place, I've installed false ribs on the lower fuel tank surface and moved on from there. I have to admit that the floppy piece of cap strip on the #2 rib kicked my butt until I stepped away from the project for a while. Once I realized I was the only Kitfox builder in history to find those a challenge I started over and got through those quickly. So a builder hint: If you seek guidance in the build threads and videos of your contemporary builders and don't find anything it means you're thinking too hard.
I whipped out my flaperons and learned how to squeeze solid rivets only to discover that my flaperons are scrap. I didn't screw them up, there are just long sections of the trailing edge of one of them which was never bonded correctly. My flaperons are of unknown age so I can't expect the factory to replace them. I have a new set on order which I will drive to pick up once they are ready. Brandon said they now use Urethane instead of Hysol at the trailing edges and it is a much better product now.
Since the video above I've moved on to installing the Laker Leading Edge, beginning with chopping the supplied section of PVC material into 1.5" lengths and bonding them to the forward spar using the template. I also did a temporary work around by bonding and riveting the "junk" flaperons and used them to hang the flaperon attach brackets (I'm using the new Series 7 style). By using them that way I'm not dead in the water waiting for the new ones, and of course as a bonus I got to practice squeezing those solid rivets. The trailing edge of the flaperons is probably an ideal first project for that skill since access is super easy.
Builder tip #547, for those who are trimming the Laker Leading Edge pieces I accidentally discovered that my aerospace tin snips cut the material super quickly, leave a much better edge than the cut off wheel on my Dremel tool and it generates ZERO fiberglass dust. I'm still using the cut off wheel in the tight places but the tin snips are the way to go for most of it.
Other news
My prop finally came. Way back in June I rolled the dice and took a gamble on a lesser known prop company (Meglin) based Kiev, Ukraine. After many delays in shipping I was pretty sure I would never see the prop and had started considering my other options. Then last Thursday evening it arrived. It is absolutely beautiful and is exactly the prop I ordered. It is a 3 blade ground adjustable, solid carbon scimitar 2000mm (about 79.5") diameter.
PXL_20211119_001655456.jpg
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I weighed the blades and they are all exactly 1087 grams. The entire prop with the fairly hefty hub assembly and hardware is 10 lbs 12 oz. Who knows if this will be my final propeller I fly with or if this becomes a very fancy decoration on my wall but for now I'm quite happy. If I recall correctly I paid $1050 including expedited air freight.
And on the engine front, my engine importer had just received the parts for my Airflow Performance TBI fuel injection system. But for the past several days we've been going back and forth with design changes to my engine mount. Thankfully my EAA Solidworks seat is still functioning. Brett (my importer) has fabricated several of the pieces and should be welding up my mount this week. A quick peek for those who like pictures:
Verner 7U FWF screen shot nov 21.jpg
So that's my random update. I'm headed out to my 1 car garage to finish cutting the Laker Leading Edge pieces. Hopefully I can get them drilled, cleco'd and bonded by the end of the day.
Kitfox 5 (under construction)
Commercial SE/ME, CFII
Heya Alex,
Glad you finally received your new propeller. It looks real nice, though five months is a long time to wait!
Is this where you got the prop? Composite - propeller.simplesite.com
I also have an older 5 as well (1994) and after reading about your loose flaperon trailing edge's it triggered
my memory that mine were as well. I smeared a thin bit of aero-poxy inside the trailing edge before I riveted them together last year.
They seem nice and tight with no movement nor anything loose but maybe a call to Brandon is in order.
Good luck on your LLE and the motor mount!
Last edited by bbs428; 11-21-2021 at 03:31 PM.
"Somebody said that carrier pilots were the best in the world, and they must be or there wouldn't be any of them left alive." Ernie Pyle
Brett Butler
Flying: N46KF, 1998 Model 5 Outback, 912ul 110hp, G3x with 2 axis a/p, Beringer wheels & brakes, SS7 firewall forward, NR prop, Custom paint
Brett,
That is the correct web page for the prop, yes. The web site is a bit of a mess but Vladimir's english is quite good and he responds to emails to answer any questions.
I should clarify that Brandon said that with flaperons bonded using Hysol the owner can be expected to chase cracking (I'm assuming dis-bonding) over time. He said they have a demo plane using the urethane adhesive and no rivets and it has had no issues. I'm guessing they still recommend riveting though.
Kitfox 5 (under construction)
Commercial SE/ME, CFII
Inching forward. Laker Leading Edge trimmed, prepped and bonded on one wing. Working alone I had to bond one section and let that cure, then bond the (already prepped) outboard section. The inboard section came out really well and the outboard section is good close enough to let the smurf poo do the fixing.
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Yet another occasion I'm glad I'm not building a biplane.
Back when I first started this circus I remember reading how some builders scallop the aft edges of those leading edge pieces. I think doing so would probably get rid of any wavy edges which seem to be difficult to avoid.
Kitfox 5 (under construction)
Commercial SE/ME, CFII
Time for some pictures of the business end of the Verner Kitfox 5. A few last minute adjustments to the engine mount design. These images also show the oil tank and the accessory cowl (I called it a boot cowl for a while even though I'm using the boot cowl for the 912). I've worked with the design of the factory supplied oil tank and found the best place possible for it. Because the Kitfox engine mount uses an attach point on the centerline at the bottom I had to shift the tank slightly to the left side of the plane. There's still a possibility that I'll ditch the factory tank for one of my own design but I won't make that decision until the bare engine and mount are fitted to my firewall.
Verner 7U FWF Nov 25.jpg
Verner 7U FWF Nov 25 3.jpg
Verner 7U FWF Nov 25 4.jpg
The fuel injection system pieces also showed up at the importer's facility just two days ago. He sent me some images of the throttle body on the engine in two different positions. Using the elbow would provide more firewall clearance and could be set up in either a downdraft configuration or side draft. Or my original was a side draft pointing straight into the back of the engine. The way it is shown here it doesn't have the straight adapter (to replace the 90 degree elbow). Either straight or 90 degree adapter will need to be modified for the two injector nozzles which go between the throttle body and the engine intake.
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The steel ring you see is the ring for the engine mount, thrown in for visualization purposes.
I have the two fiberglass Laker Leading Edge pieces trimmed and fitted for my right wing. As usual it goes much faster than the first time you try something. Hoping to to bond those pieces tonight or tomorrow.
Kitfox 5 (under construction)
Commercial SE/ME, CFII
Alex,
Congratulations on your progress. It has been particularly interesting to follow your build since you are going with the Verner Radial. Love reading up on recent builders activities as it kinda brings some of us greybeards back to that time in our kitfox history.
Dave S
Kitfox 7 Trigear (Flying since 2009)
912ULS Warp Drive
St Paul, MN
I hope your taking impeccable notes for those of us who are envious as hell of you with the Verner. I could be in need of a new engine in only a few years if I can keep this 912is running until TBO. Keep posting please.
Eddie Forward
Flying
SS7, 912iS, Garmin G3X
Alex, If I recall you are using Oratex? those wavy parts on the aft of the LLE will go away once you final tighten the top blanket. I made a video about it earlier this year. Even now at -10 F up here none of that wavy-ness has returned as the fabric slacked from the really cold temps.
S7 STi O-320 currently flying